Evening Stroll
by Artemis Ignitan
Summary: The cycle has ended, it is time for them to meet yet again. In which Solo thinks too much and too deeply into things. Meme requestfic from Yuidirnt. Solo/Subaru friendship rivalry sort of thing, except not really.


**(A/N): Third LJ memefic! 'Tis Yuidirnt's turn this time.  
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**_" When you do these memes I always ask for the same series... I don't see why I should change it now. Solo/Subaru, pretty please?"_ **

**Buckle down, here it comes!  
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><p>It is late at night, the moon high and bathing the street in light, illuminating a single figure on the street. This suits Solo-what is about to happen needs no audience but him and one other.<p>

He waits, knowing that the other will be here soon-or rather, notice his presence and know that it is time. He is feeling particularly impatient today, so he finds himself just outside the house as opposed to the usual meeting place.

Subaru's reaction to this isn't much, just a raised eyebrow in confusion and his mouth opening to ask a question that Solo interrupts.

"I know, we're supposed to fight at Vista Point so that nobody else can get accidentally injured there, I've heard it enough." The tone is annoyed and sullen, but somehow the answer gets a warm smile from Subaru. It's that same grin that always annoys Solo, that one that seems to imply that the other boy can easily see through him and discern any motivations for what he's doing. It's enough to make Solo turn around and huff, walking down the sidewalk towards the designated battleground. There's no point in simply taking the Wave Road there-Subaru won't Denpa-Henkan until he gets there anyways, out of concern for others around him, and he'll just get more impatient waiting around.

To his annoyance, Subaru quickly and easily falls into step beside him, as if they were equals, or even worse, _friends_. They couldn't be more different if they tried, but somehow Subaru seems insistent on proving that they both hold bonds close to them, that they're not as different as they think. And until Solo can stand victorious and have the pleasure of ripping the Mu Metal from his body, he can't say anything to oppose it.

The victor is the one who dictates everything, after all.

It's too quiet. While Solo prefers silence, this doesn't feel as empty as it should. It feels too...amiable...for his liking. No one should be any kinds of comfortable in his presence, especially not his polar opposite. So he speaks.

"Tch. I still can't believe you still need your ridiculous alien companion to notice when a piece of metal is sticking out of your chest." Subaru only chuckles a little bit at that, seemingly used to his sniping by now (how could he not be, how many cycles has he gone through by now, fighting him?).

"It's surprisingly painless, you know. Even if I have the cycle figured out by now, I have other things to focus on..." Solo can hear the hidden meaning behind Subaru's words as clear as day, considering how often the other boy has mentioned it: _"so many bonds to nurture, not just a single bond to focus on like you. My life is full compared to yours,"_and he sneers.

"You're still useless without him, aren't you."

"Of course, that's what makes us so strong together." Solo snorts and bounds up the stairs to Vista Point before Subaru can use this as a springboard to prattle on and on about bonds, like he always seems to do.

"I've heard it all before, just give up." Solo feels his bile rise as Subaru just gives him an ironical sort of smile as he faces opposite him, that look in his opponent's eyes infuriating him.

_"I could say the same to you, but that would be cruel."_

They stare down, just waiting. As if on some unspoken signal, they raise their Hunters up.

_"Transcode: 002, Burai!"_

"Transcode: 003, Shooting Star Rockman!"

After the transformation, they return to their staredown, Burai focusing on the crest that emerges from underneath the pendant-shaped crest on Rockman's body, the other waiting for his move. Despite himself, Burai finds himself remembering that this was how all their recent battles started, ever since that day that Subaru refused to fight him until they would fight in a safer place for everyone. He had shown a surprising amount of stubbornness then, and Solo had returned it with the same amount. He wouldn't simply take the metal when the other boy was defenseless-it felt wrong, unfufilling, like it would be simply an escape from having to prove his view again. And Subaru seemed to know that, holding out until the cycle had passed and Solo grew impatient enough to acquiesce to his demand.

Burai scowls at himself for remembering such trivial things when he's about to fight, he needs nothing more than to focus, to _win_.

And so their dance begins, dodging and weaving around the other's attacks, disappearing into the shadows only to reappear in the moonlight as they clash. They know each other well by this point, enough that they can easily predict what their opponent will do. It's not something that Burai likes to admit to, at least not in Rockman's presence. He'd go on about how their fights have forged some sort of rival's bond of some sort if he wasn't so busy trying to prevent his own deletion.

As they fight, a stray thought flits across Burai's mind that he quickly suppresses, that he won't allow himself to dwell on: as important as the Mu Metal is to him, as fun as it would be to delete Rockman; the effort he goes through bothers him at times. To give into the demands of another, to let them decide the terms of the fight, and even after all that, to fight them with all the fervor and intensity that he reserves for upholding and preserving the legacy of Mu...

There's a treacherous thought that makes him wonder why he goes through so much effort to seek out a losing battle.

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><p><strong>(AN): I need to write for this series more, I forgot how much I adore it.  
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